by Penny Blush
“That little fucking shit,” Uncle Charlie said slamming his hand on the bench snatching up his phone.
In snapping clipped tones Uncle Charlie relayed everything to Georgiou who had a few choice-words of his own. Charlie then put the phone on speaker and I explained the plan to them all.
“I know this is not normally how you do business my dear,” Georgiou said once the plan was discussed at length. “Ordinarily it would be enough for a man like Vex to know we could get to him in his home, that should be enough to cause him to retreat with his tail between his legs. But, this man’s arrogance knows no bounds and he must pay for what he has done. For what he did to my son. I do not believe torture is the way to send a message, but Nicholas Vex doesn’t deserve the luxury of a quick death.”
Georgiou told us that Gianni did in-fact lose his leg. He had been in surgery for hours, the doctors battling to save his leg and his life. But, in the end they took his leg to save his life and he was still in the ICU listed as critical.
“Make sure he knows he fucked with the wrong people.”
Chapter 34 Morningstar
“I don’t think I have had that much fun in years,” Charlie laughed handing out a round of drinks.
“It was the lift I needed after the last few weeks,” Georgiou agreed saluting with his glass.
Georgiou had been all but living at the hospital. Gianni had taken a turn for the worse. A piece of shrapnel from the car bomb lacerated spleen, the doctors had repaired it, but it got infected; the doctors had no choice but to remove it. He had been gravely ill and placed on life support. Doctors advised Georgiou to say his goodbyes and offered to bring in a priest. Gianni had other plans and was not finished with this life, rallied and was now out of the woods.
In the time Gianni had been in hospital he had aged, lost a lot of weight and was now looking more like a man of forty. Gianni was ageless. He didn’t look his age, he always looked, at the most, like a man in his early thirties.
Now, he looked frail and weak.
I snuck into his hospital room in the middle of the night, so I could see him for myself. Georgiou’s descriptions of how Gianni was progressing were always sugar coated for our benefit. Georgiou didn’t want me to worry.
It was only a little over a month since the car bomb exploded tearing through the alley, but it was still so fresh. When I closed my eyes, I could still hear the explosion, smell the car burning, feel the blast waves on my skin. Gianni, he had every right to be angry, sad and depressed even, but I would not let him get dragged down into the depts of it.
“Are you planning on spending the rest of your life in that bed looking fucking pathetic?”
I was sitting in Gianni’s private room in the ‘executive’ wing of the hospital. The section of the hospital with extra security reserved for politicians, celebrities, CEO’s and executives. I relaxed back in one of the guest chairs with my booted feet propped on the end of his bed.
“Fuck you.” His voice hoarse from sleep. “Someone blew me up you know, and it didn’t exactly tickle.” I shrugged my shoulders as if being blown up, losing a leg and almost dying was no big deal. “How the hell did you even get in here? There is security posted everywhere.” Gianni replied hitting the button on the side of the bed raising the back into a sitting position.
“I asked nicely. What can I say. I was blessed with a winning personality.”
“Please tell me you didn’t kill one of the nurses or security staff?” Gianni groaned pulling himself up further in the bed to get more comfortable. “I didn’t I promise.”
“Then how did you get past the security?”
“They're called boobs Gi.”
I stayed and spoke with Gianni until just before sunrise. I’m glad I did. I needed to make sure for myself that he was okay but also, I needed to know what he remembered. He went through every detail from when he walked to his car, the bomb blast, everything he could remember until the moment he woke up to find me in his room. I made him go through every detail, what he heard, the smells, what he felt, any detail no matter how minute could be a small piece of evidence that would help to bury Vex and any member of his team in the fucking ground.
Gianni, the man who before the bomb was flirty, charismatic and bold was now angry, scared and worried that he will never be the same man again.
“I hate to tell you this GI, but you won’t be.” I remarked bluntly.
“Hun, your pep-talk needs work,” he said lamented.
“It’s the truth Gi, and you know it. You can’t go through everything you’ve been through and come out the other side the same person. Your life has changed dramatically and whether you like it or not you’ve changed.”
“So, have you,” he commented, his eyes more focused, sharp, examining me. “The old Morningstar would have barged in here, taunting and berating me until I dragged my ass out of bed to kick your ass. You wouldn’t have snuck in here, sitting quietly until I woke up. Your time away from all of this has changed you, softened you. It’s a good look on you.”
“I think you hit your head harder than they think. You definitely have a concussion.”
“You’ve changed, you know you have. Don’t let this life drag you back in, do what you have to, and then leave. You got out, stay out. This life will take your soul, it’s already taken a chunk out of me, I don’t want to see it take another piece of you.”
I sat considering his words for a moment. One thing that Gianni and I have in common is that we both believe that we are indestructible, untouchable, infallible. The bomb blast, Gianni losing his leg, almost dying is an all to timely reminder that it can all be snatched away in the blink of an eye.
“Embrace your new life M, cherish it before a bomb rips a hole through your life.” He stared through the window of his hospital room at the sunrising slowly bringing with it the promise of snow. “You should have left me die,” he muttered. “I would have been better off, this is no life.” He indicated to the now flat spot on the bed where his leg should have been.
“Stop being so melodramatic Gianni it doesn’t suit you. Yes, it was a shitty thing that happened to you and yes going forward life will be different for you. You’ve suffered a major trauma, you almost died, you’ve lost a leg. It not like you tripped and fell.”
“Make your point M.”
“Get off your fucking ass and stop being such a baby. I get it, you lost your leg and you almost died, but you didn’t. You’re lucky that you can afford the top medical and rehab treatment so stop feeling sorry for yourself and get-off-your-ass. You are alive, stop wallowing in your own self-pity, get up, do your rehab, get healthy, get stronger, move the fuck on and live.”
“You know, you can be a real bitch sometimes,” he replied sullenly.
“True. But what are you going to do about it?” I shrugged a shoulder, stooping down to drop a kiss on his head, leaving the room.
Three days later when Jupiter went to visit Gianni in the hospital, he was up, dressed, clean shaven and flirting with the nurses and his physical therapist, flashing around his trademark panty melting smile.
Gi would be fine.
“Vex is nothing if not predictable,” Malcolm said walking to in Charlie’s office, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“What has that waste of space done now?” Georgiou asked.
“He has increased his security, just like clockwork. I’m just disappointed that I didn’t get to see his face when he figured out it was us.” Malcolm smirked walking to the minibar to pour himself a drink.
“I have to say it was a lot of fun,” I drained my glass handing it to Charlie for a refill.
We had left Vex alone for a week, total radio silence. We left him alone until we were sure that Gianni was going to pull through, the outcome determined which way our plans would go. If Gianni had died Vex would have been taken immediately buried down a deep dark hole where no one would hear his screams. He would be kept alive and tortured until Georgiou was satisfied that he had suffere
d just as much as his son.
Vex being the self-important douche he is, thought because we hadn’t retaliated it was all over. He thought he had won and that we had all crawled off in to the shadows to lick our wounds.
He was wrong.
The first few days it was just little things to test the waters, recon really, to see what his security was like, how easily we could get to him. We started out small, walking up to him in the street, sitting down at the table across from him in a café, paying his tab at the bar. Then we would leave him alone for a day or two then we hit him again and again. We went at him like this for a fortnight before we upped the ante.
Vex believing he had won and had caused significant damage to the Marino’s and Charlie had already started to make his move to take over their businesses including the legitimate ones.
Vex wanting to make it look like he was an upstanding citizen, a businessman, a man of the people. To that end became sponsor of an event. An event that he had no fucking clue about which further proved how much of an idiot he really is.
Vex became the major sponsor of ‘Tat Fest’ a tattoo festival.
The whole thing was laughable Vex didn’t even have any tattoo’s, he hated them. He had a massive aversion to needles and had been known to get woozy at the sight of blood.
Tat Fest promoted not only tattoo artists and the tattoo culture but also brought out all types with their pop-up shops and businesses promoting their wears in marques. There was everything from tattoo equipment suppliers, tattoo after-care products, nail artists, hair wraps and extensions, custom motorbikes, merchandisers and clothing stalls. There were DJ’s and bands set up in different tents scattered throughout the festival area.
The three-day festival was a riot of colour and an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life. The people who weren’t brave enough to get one themselves but still loved the culture. The weekday suit wearers whose tattoos were carefully hidden from client’s judgemental eyes. The people with full sleeves or body suits. The old the young and everyone in between. Everyone was accepted, everyone blended in, everyone except for Nicholas Vex.
Vex was walking around through the festival crowd like he was fucking king shit. Shaking hands with artists and stallholders like he knew who they were. Calling out to people and waving at them, expecting people to know who he was. Expecting them to know that he was the new king in town.
His personal security such as it was, hung back, too far back to be of any use. People could get way too close, it would take them way too long to get to him if something went down.
The blasé approach to their jobs was my way in, and I used that to my advantage.
Charlie had disguised his appearance looking like one of the venders. Malcolm dressed to look like festival security and me in my leather and flame red hair well, I just blended right in with the rest of the festival goers.
It was all too easy.
I must have past Vex half a dozen times he had his head so far up his own ass he didn’t even realise. Malcolm had a chat with his head of security and Charlie even managed to walk right up to him and shook his hand!
Once again Vex’s arrogance assisted with his own demise. Malcolm, Charlie and I passed Vex and his team so many times it was laughable, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. It got to the point that it just wasn’t fun anymore and we decided that he had had enough we sent in the big guns.
Georgiou casually walked past Vex bumping into him as if it was an accident.
“I’m so sorry sir.” Vex’ eyes just about bugged out his head when he realised Georgiou was standing right in front of him. Vex stood there his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, his eyes darting around looking for his security team, looking for help. “Why Mr Vex your face is bright red. You need to learn to relax business shouldn’t be this stressful.”
“YOU!” Vex hissed.
“Me, Mr Vex. Did you really think that you could threaten me, threaten my good friend Charlie, almost kill my son and I would just let you be? Let you live.” Georgiou’s eyes scanned Vex’s body, dropping his sunglasses in place giving him a mirthful smile casually walking away, then turned back, “Mr Vex you seem to have spilt something on your suit.”.
Vex looked down, his head snapping back up to find Georgiou disappearing into the crowd, his figure swallowed by the sea of people. Vex dropped his gaze down the length of his body again finding blood staining his crisp white linen suit that was now shredded to hell.
Malcolm, Charlie and I each passed Vex twelve times.
Thirty-six passes.
Thirty-six photos of each pass.
Thirty-six photos sent to Vex’ phone.
Vex stood there shaking turning purple, his anger rendering him mute. His phone started pinging, he angerly snatched the device out of his pocket. He was muttering at himself as began scrolling through the images a confused look on his face.
About thirty-six seconds before Vex regained control over his body, his voice, dragging in a rage filled breath ready to explode at his men, a woman - paid by Charlie to react at the right time- screamed blue-bloody-murder pointing at Vex.
Thirty-six passes, yielding thirty-six cuts.
Thirty-six times a blade sliced into his skin.
Thirty-six times we got close to him and he didn’t even notice.
The cuts weren’t so deep that they would kill him, but they were deep enough that they would hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Thirty-six razor blade cuts, that much like paper cuts, would sting every time he moved, every time he showered, every time his clothing brushed across them.
The woman kept screaming, pointing, causing a commotion as Vex stood there shocked and bleeding. He looked up to find Charlie, and I standing in front of him. We saluted him - well I flipped him off -disappearing into the crowd. Vex roared and his mediocre security finally sprang to action. Vex bellowed that ‘he would get us if it was the last thing he did.’ His security team who had been distracted by a group of scantily clad, large busted Grid Girls handing out free beer vouchers, finally came to his aid. He could be heard screaming at them to ‘get after us’ and that he ‘was going to make us pay’ as we blended in with the crowd.
“I truly did enjoy the look on Mr Vex’ face when he realised that he is not as infallible as he would like to believe.” Georgiou chuckled looking very pleased with himself. “My only regret is that Gianni could not be there to witness it himself.”
Chapter 35 Vex
“You’re fired! You’re all fucking fired! No, you’re dead! You’re all fucking DEAD!” I roared at my men reaching for my gun.
“Boss, you can’t kill them,” Eric insisted resting a hand on my gun forcing the barrel down. “We need them. We can’t replace them all on such short notice.”
“Ahhhh! Fine but they're off personal security effective immediately. I don’t want to see them, I don’t want them anywhere near me, they can man the fucking fence.”
“You heard the Boss, move,” Eric ordered the men as I turned my back to them heading to the bar filling a glass with scotch and slamming it back.
I filled the glass again gulping it down, feeling the hard liquor burn down the back of my throat. I filled my glass again, pacing.
“What the fuck happened Eric? How the fuck did they get so close?” I demanded to know, continuing to pace.
Eric is the only among my men who I would trust with my life, he knows what side his bread is buttered and knows better than to disrespect the man who pays his wages. He unwaveringly follows orders, has my back and is loyal to a fault. Eric had never asked for anytime off the whole time he had been with me, but the day of the festival had also been the day of his nephew’s christening. As things had been quiet for the last couple of weeks, I let him have the day off. My loyal soldier left his family and came to me as soon as he heard what had happened.
“I don’t know Boss, but I will find out.”
“I want them to pay Eric. I don’t care how you do it, but I want them a
ll dead and I want Georgiou’s head on a fucking pike” I gulped down the rest of my scotch before an idea struck me. “On second thoughts kill them all but bring me Morningstar. I want to kill that bitch myself.”
“Yes Boss,” Eric nodded leaving me alone with my anger.
I drank and paced, wearing a track in the carpet. I ripped off my ruined suit jacket throwing it on the floor. This was not just disrespect it was a humiliation.
How did they get so close? Why did they get so close and not kill me? What the fuck were they playing at?
They started with this childish fucking shit of turning up anywhere they knew I would be. The coffee shop, the movie theatre, the fucking festival. They were like a jilted lover who just wouldn’t let it fucking go. Then the bullshit they pulled today had me seething.
My phone pinged with a message, I unlocked it and saw all the photos of their attack. This was the fourth time they had been sent to me. Thirty-six fucking photos. Not only had they gotten close to me undetected by my security, but they cut me, they shredded my fucking suit. Now, with them continuing to send the fucking photos they were rubbing it in my face, gloating about it.
I scrolled through my phone until I found the number of a trusted guy back at home. Two can play at this game.
“I want you to get me photos of that fucktard Memphis Blue, all his men and that stupid slut that works with him too. I want you to get close but don’t hurt them, not yet. I want Morningstar and Charlie to know I can get to them without them knowing,” I ordered hanging up not waiting for a response.
Charlie had fucked up, he let the biggest secret slip. One I planned on keeping close to the chest for now.
When the car bomb went off and Morningstar took off down the alley towards Gianni, Charlie forgot himself and called out to Jupiter, and then it clicked.
Morningstar is his niece.
Morningstar is Jupiter Riverworth.